The bell to the ready-room door shook Picard out of his reverie. Putting down the PADD he was reading he bid his visitor enter, and the doors opened to reveal Counsellor Troi.

"Ah, Counsellor, have a seat." He strode over to the replicator. "Tea; earl grey; hot. And…?"

"The same, please, Captain," Deanna requested. They seated themselves comfortably on Captain Picard's couch as the Captain asked the Counsellor's opinion on Captain Archer.

"He's very approachable," Deanna said. "As is Cmdr. Tucker. Confident yet humble. A little bit high strung and strangely I'm getting a lot of guilt from him."

"Yes, I brought up the Xindi mission during the tour," said Captain Picard, taking a sip of tea. "I was rereading his logs when you came in; he made some unethical calls while in the Delphic Expanse, ones that would certainly put an end to Starfleet officer's career nowadays. But I would hate to think that he's the kind of man to claim that the end justifies the means."

"His actions did save Earth and humanity from total destruction," Deanna pointed out. "The Xindi would have completely wiped us out."

"Nor did they have any assistance in the Expanse, no to mention their ship was falling apart," Captain Picard brought his tea to his lips, frowning when he realised it was a little too hot. He put it to one side. "And he managed to create an alliance with the Xindi that lasts to this day. It's hardly a clear-cut situation. Perhaps I'm too eager to excuse the greatest explorer of the 22nd century. They do say to never meet your heroes."

"Has he disappointed you yet?" Deanna asked teasingly, knowing the answer.

Picard grinned, seeming as excited as a school boy. "Not in the slightest. He seemed rather excited at the prospect of so many different species and cultures serving on the same ship: I don't think he's seen half the species that make up the crew before. He was so curious, but I just couldn't answer his questions for fear of contaminating the timeline. But I'm still interested in your opinion, Counsellor. I interrupted you, I apologise."

"Well," Deanna put her tea down, before turning back to the Captain. "I believe Captain Archer may have lied earlier, in the briefing."

"Lied?" Picard furrowed his brow. "About what?"

"About why they came to this planet," Deanna explained. "Perhaps 'lie' is too strong a word, but he was definitely holding something back. And when Cmdr. Riker asked about it, I felt a surge of nervousness from Cmdr. Tucker. And he was definitely lying about the Columbia; there was no way it just happened to be in the same system at the same time and they're not here – weren't here – for soil samples. They have something to hide, Captain, I just don't know what it is."

Picard stood up and paced in front of desk. "What about Lt. Reed, what have you sensed from him?"

"He's very closed, but I can feel fear from him," Deanna said. She gazed at the spot where Picard had been sitting but not truly seeing it, trying to pick Lt. Reed out amongst the rest of the ship's complement. "He's uncomfortable, more than the other two he wants to go home. And I'm getting the sense that his shipmates want to keep him away from the rest of us as much as possible."

"Because of what he might tell us?"

"No, it's more protective than that."

Picard turned contemplative. "They may have very good reasons for whatever it is they are hiding form us."

"A definite possibility," Deanna agreed. "Or all three could be lying to us for an unknown reason."

"We'll explore everything," Picard insisted. "I know Dr. Crusher confirmed their identities, but we can't rule out something that could have deceive Dr. Crusher's equipment. I'll continue looking over the NX-01's logs, see what I can find. I'll have time tonight." Picard sat back down at his desk, clearly disappointed. "Captain Archer has turned down my dinner invitation. Thanked me profusely but said he would appreciate an early night."

"I'm sure you'll have time to pick Captain Archer's brain tomorrow, Captain," Deanna smiled, standing. "If that is his real name."

"I'd would've had the time today, if it wasn't for Captain Archer insisting on helping in Engineering. I think he may be avoiding me." He sighed and shook his head, taking up the PADD he'd been reading when Deanna came in. "Perhaps he is hiding something. I'll see you tomorrow, Counsellor. And I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye on our guests: we can't risk getting starstruck and missing whatever it is they're really up to."